IN THE SPOTLIGHT
Te simplest way a business can establish an online presence is to take advantage of the prevalence and popularity of social media and resolve its domain name to its social site of choice. Tis means that when people type in the company’s domain name, they will be directed to the company’s page on social sites like Facebook or Pinterest. Tis technique is a great way for small businesses to get their feet wet online because it requires no or little investment or technical expertise and enables them to see the immediate benefits that an online presence can deliver.
Similarly, for companies looking to expand
their sales to the online market, services such as
www.bigcommerce.com,
www.etsy. com,
www.ebay.com and others, make it easy to establish an Internet storefront without investing in a full blown e-commerce website.
One thing to consider with both of these
approaches is that by subscribing to these types of free and low-cost services to support an online presence, businesses give up control and are beholden to the rules and any changes these platforms may make. Tis means that a business’ relationship with its customers is moderated by someone else. It is also why it’s important for businesses to make a domain name their central online marketing destination. In the instance that a new social or e-commerce channel becomes more desirable, or a business decides to switch its online presence to a custom website, a domain name can be easily redirected to the new site without the risk of losing customers or the need to invest in new letterhead and business cards.
If a business has decided that it wants its own website, many registrars and hosting companies make it very easy to develop a website through templates that include most of the same features as custom websites: e-commerce support, branded email, search engine optimisation and interactive tools. Te interface for maintaining these types of sites is generally very user-friendly and requires very
little technical expertise.
Many small businesses subscribe to this practice because it is inexpensive, low effort, and allows for more control over the user’s experience, and therefore more control over their brands.
What other features should a website include that will help a small business succeed online?
Aside from making sure essential contact information—business address, phone number and email address—is present and remains consistent, small businesses should consider including e-commerce and mobile technology on their websites.
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VERISIGN
“IF SOMEONE IN LONDON IS LOOKING FOR A BAKERY, THEY’RE LIKELY TO SEARCH FOR ‘THE BEST BAKERY IN LONDON’ AS OPPOSED TO ‘BAKERIES’.”
Once a business establishes a solid online presence, making smart marketing decisions that get customers to your site is important. A business’ online presence should be at the centre of its marketing efforts. Many small businesses have found success driving visitors and sales to their sites through daily offer sites such Groupon and Amazon Daily Deals. Tese sites, for a fee, allow businesses to take advantage of large, established user bases to gain exposure and get new customers. Some enterprising small companies have capitalised on the mobile trend by building smartphone apps that easily direct customers to their websites. For example, this technique catapulted Woot into a well-known e-commerce brand.
Consumers cite convenience and better deals as primary reasons for shopping online instead of in stores, and this has prompted major and smaller retailers alike to invest more in e-commerce.
In June 2012, online shoppers in the UK spent an estimated £6 billion ($9.3 billion)—an average of £117 ($181) per person, up 13 percent from June 2011—and this figure is expected to grow even bigger. Forrester research predicts e-commerce sales will represent 8 percent of all retail sales in the US by 2014, up from 6 percent in 2009, and in western Europe, Forrester expects a slightly faster 11 percent growth rate for online retail sales to $156 billion (€114.5 billion) in 2014. Tere is a huge opportunity for small businesses to get a piece of this pie by incorporating e-commerce into their websites.
E-commerce platforms also allow businesses to collect valuable customer contact information as part of
the checkout process. Collecting
customer contact information allows you to communicate directly with customers about new offers and promotions, and draw them back to your site for repeat business.
When a small business establishes an online presence, it is essentially opening its store front to a global market. A growing global trend—especially in many European and Asian markets—is shopping from a tablet computer or mobile phone. Research shows that number is expected to grow. In order to streamline the customer experience online, businesses need to have mobile-friendly versions of their websites that prioritise the content that’s important for mobile users to access. Whether through advanced options such as responsive design, or easy to use mobile website tools such as Verisign MobileView, mobile capabilities can provide a competitive advantage.
Businesses need to garner customer interest, and building and investing in an online presence is one of the most effective ways of doing that. For more information on how to build and develop an online presence, including how to purchase a domain name, visit
www.GetA.com or
www.VerisignInc.com/smallbiz
References are available on request to the author
Scott Schnell is senior vice president of marketing, strategy and business development at Verisign. He can be contacted at:
pr@verisign.com
Scott Schnell is responsible for managing Verisign’s key business partnerships, fostering new business initiatives and leading marketing worldwide. Schnell co-founded and served as president and CEO of VideoIQ Inc, and held senior-level positions at RSA Security, Apple and Photonics Corporation. He earned an MBA from Harvard Business School and a BS in mechanical engineering from the University of Utah.
Trademarks Brands and the Internet Volume 1, Issue 4 31
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